XIII

eriem,
again bound and under heavy guard in Kovudoo's own hut, saw the night
pass and the new day come without bringing the momentarily looked for
return of Korak. She had no doubt but that he would come back and
less still that he would easily free her from her captivity. To her
Korak was little short of omnipotent. He embodied for her all that
was finest and strongest and best in her savage world. She gloried in
his prowess and worshipped him for the tender thoughtfulness that
always had marked his treatment of her. No other within the ken of
her memory had ever accorded her the love and gentleness that was his
daily offering to her. Most of the gentler attributes of his early
childhood had long since been forgotten in the fierce battle for
existence which the customs of the mysterious jungle had forced upon
him. He was more often savage and bloodthirsty than tender and
kindly. His other friends of the wild looked for no gentle tokens of
his affection. That he would hunt with them and fight for them was
sufficient. If he growled and showed his fighting fangs when they
trespassed upon his inalienable rights to the fruits of his kills
they felt no anger toward him — only greater respect for the
efficient and the fit — for him who could not only kill but protect
the flesh of his kill.

But
toward Meriem he always had shown more of his human side. He killed
primarily for her. It was to the feet of Meriem that he brought the
fruits of his labors. It was for Meriem more than for himself that he
squatted beside his flesh and growled ominously at whosoever dared
sniff too closely to it. When he was cold in the dark days of rain,
or thirsty in a prolonged drouth, his discomfort engendered first of
all thoughts of Meriem's welfare — after she had been made warm,
after her thirst had been slaked, then he turned to the affair of
ministering to his own wants.

The
softest skins fell gracefully from the graceful shoulders of his
Meriem. The sweetest-scented grasses lined her bower where other
soft, furry pelts made hers the downiest couch in all the jungle.

What
wonder then that Meriem loved her Korak? But she loved him as a
little sister might love a big brother who was very good to her. As
yet she knew naught of the love of a maid for a man.

So
now as she lay waiting for him she dreamed of him and of all that he
meant to her. She compared him with The Sheik, her father, and at
thought of the stern, grizzled, old Arab she shuddered. Even the
savage blacks had been less harsh to her than he. Not understanding
their tongue she could not guess what purpose they had in keeping her
a prisoner. She knew that man ate man, and she had expected to be
eaten; but she had been with them for some time now and no harm had
befallen her. She did not know that a runner had been dispatched to
the distant village of The Sheik to barter with him for a ransom. She
did not know, nor did Kovudoo, that the runner had never reached his
destination — that he had fallen in with the safari of Jenssen and
Malbihn and with the talkativeness of a native to other natives had
unfolded his whole mission to the black servants of the two Swedes.
These had not been long in retailing the matter to their masters, and
the result was that when the runner left their camp to continue his
journey he had scarce passed from sight before there came the report
of a rifle and he rolled lifeless into the underbrush with a bullet
in his back.

A
few moments later Malbihn strolled back into the encampment, where he
went to some pains to let it be known that he had had a shot at a
fine buck and missed. The Swedes knew that their men hated them, and
that an overt act against Kovudoo would quickly be carried to the
chief at the first opportunity. Nor were they sufficiently strong in
either guns or loyal followers to risk antagonizing the wily old
chief.

Following
this episode came the encounter with the baboons and the strange,
white savage who had allied himself with the beasts against the
humans. Only by dint of masterful maneuvering and the expenditure of
much power had the Swedes been able to repulse the infuriated apes,
and even for hours afterward their camp was constantly besieged by
hundreds of snarling, screaming devils.

The
Swedes, rifles in hand, repelled numerous savage charges which lacked
only efficient leadership to have rendered them as effective in
results as they were terrifying in appearance. Time and time again
the two men thought they saw the smooth-skinned body of the wild
ape-man moving among the baboons in the forest, and the belief that
he might head a charge upon them proved most disquieting. They would
have given much for a clean shot at him, for to him they attributed
the loss of their specimen and the ugly attitude of the baboons
toward them.

"The
fellow must be the same we fired on several years ago," said
Malbihn. "That time he was accompanied by a gorilla. Did you get
a good look at him, Carl?"

"Yes,"
replied Jenssen. "He was not five paces from me when I fired at
him. He appears to be an intelligent looking European — and not
much more than a lad. There is nothing of the imbecile or degenerate
in his features or expression, as is usually true in similar cases,
where some lunatic escapes into the woods and by living in filth and
nakedness wins the title of wild man among the peasants of the
neighborhood. No, this fellow is of different stuff — and so
infinitely more to be feared. As much as I should like a shot at him
I hope he stays away. Should he ever deliberately lead a charge
against us I wouldn't give much for our chances if we happened to
fail to bag him at the first rush."

But
the white giant did not appear again to lead the baboons against
them, and finally the angry brutes themselves wandered off into the
jungle leaving the frightened safari in peace.

The
next day the Swedes set out for Kovudoo's village bent on securing
possession of the person of the white girl whom Kovudoo's runner had
told them lay captive in the chief's village. How they were to
accomplish their end they did not know. Force was out of the
question, though they would not have hesitated to use it had they
possessed it. In former years they had marched rough shod over
enormous areas, taking toll by brute force even when kindliness or
diplomacy would have accomplished more; but now they were in bad
straits — so bad that they had shown their true colors scarce twice
in a year and then only when they came upon an isolated village, weak
in numbers and poor in courage.

Kovudoo
was not as these, and though his village was in a way remote from the
more populous district to the north his power was such that he
maintained an acknowledged suzerainty over the thin thread of
villages which connected him with the savage lords to the north. To
have antagonized him would have spelled ruin for the Swedes. It would
have meant that they might never reach civilization by the northern
route. To the west, the village of The Sheik lay directly in their
path, barring them effectually. To the east the trail was unknown to
them, and to the south there was no trail. So the two Swedes
approached the village of Kovudoo with friendly words upon their
tongues and deep craft in their hearts.

Their
plans were well made. There was no mention of the white prisoner —
they chose to pretend that they were not aware that Kovudoo had a
white prisoner. They exchanged gifts with the old chief, haggling
with his plenipotentiaries over the value of what they were to
receive for what they gave, as is customary and proper when one has
no ulterior motives. Unwarranted generosity would have aroused
suspicion.

During
the palaver which followed they retailed the gossip of the villages
through which they had passed, receiving in exchange such news as
Kovudoo possessed. The palaver was long and tiresome, as these native
ceremonies always are to Europeans. Kovudoo made no mention of his
prisoner and from his generous offers of guides and presents seemed
anxious to assure himself of the speedy departure of his guests. It
was Malbihn who, quite casually, near the close of their talk,
mentioned the fact that The Sheik was dead. Kovudoo evinced interest
and surprise.

"You
did not know it?" asked Malbihn. "That is strange. It was
during the last moon. He fell from his horse when the beast stepped
in a hole. The horse fell upon him. When his men came up The Sheik
was quite dead."

Kovudoo
scratched his head. He was much disappointed. No Sheik meant no
ransom for the white girl. Now she was worthless, unless he utilized
her for a feast or — a mate. The latter thought aroused him. He
spat at a small beetle crawling through the dust before him. He eyed
Malbihn appraisingly. These white men were peculiar. They traveled
far from their own villages without women. Yet he knew they cared for
women. But how much did they care for them? — that was the question
that disturbed Kovudoo.

"I
know where there is a white girl," he said, unexpectedly. "If
you wish to buy her she may be had cheap."

Malbihn
shrugged. "We have troubles enough, Kovudoo," he said,
"without burdening ourselves with an old she-hyena, and as for
paying for one — " Malbihn snapped his fingers in derision.

"She
is young," said Kovudoo, "and good looking."

The
Swedes laughed. "There are no good looking white women in the
jungle, Kovudoo," said Jenssen. "You should be ashamed to
try to make fun of old friends."

Kovudoo
sprang to his feet. "Come," he said, "I will show you
that she is all I say."

Malbihn
and Jenssen rose to follow him and as they did so their eyes met, and
Malbihn slowly drooped one of his lids in a sly wink. Together they
followed Kovudoo toward his hut. In the dim interior they discerned
the figure of a woman lying bound upon a sleeping mat.

Malbihn
took a single glance and turned away. "She must be a thousand
years old, Kovudoo," he said, as he left the hut.

"She
is young," cried the savage. "It is dark in here. You
cannot see. Wait, I will have her brought out into the sunlight,"
and he commanded the two warriors who watched the girl to cut the
bonds from her ankles and lead her forth for inspection.

Malbihn
and Jenssen evinced no eagerness, though both were fairly bursting
with it — not to see the girl but to obtain possession of her. They
cared not if she had the face of a marmoset, or the figure of
pot-bellied Kovudoo himself. All that they wished to know was that
she was the girl who had been stolen from The Sheik several years
before. They thought that they would recognize her for such if she
was indeed the same, but even so the testimony of the runner Kovudoo
had sent to The Sheik was such as to assure them that the girl was
the one they had once before attempted to abduct.

As
Meriem was brought forth from the darkness of the hut's interior the
two men turned with every appearance of disinterestedness to glance
at her. It was with difficulty that Malbihn suppressed an ejaculation
of astonishment. The girl's beauty fairly took his breath from him;
but instantly he recovered his poise and turned to Kovudoo.

"Well?"
he said to the old chief.

"Is
she not both young and good looking?" asked Kovudoo.

"She
is not old," replied Malbihn; "but even so she will be a
burden. We did not come from the north after wives — there are more
than enough there for us."

Meriem
stood looking straight at the white men. She expected nothing from
them — they were to her as much enemies as the black men. She hated
and feared them all. Malbihn spoke to her in Arabic.

"We
are friends," he said. "Would you like to have us take you
away from here?"

Slowly
and dimly as though from a great distance recollection of the once
familiar tongue returned to her.

"I
should like to go free," she said, "and go back to Korak."

"You
would like to go with us?" persisted Malbihn.

"No,"
said Meriem.

Malbihn
turned to Kovudoo. "She does not wish to go with us," he
said.

"You
are men," returned the black. "Can you not take her by
force?"

"It
would only add to our troubles," replied the Swede. "No,
Kovudoo, we do not wish her; though, if you wish to be rid of her, we
will take her away because of our friendship for you."

Now
Kovudoo knew that he had made a sale. They wanted her. So he
commenced to bargain, and in the end the person of Meriem passed from
the possession of the black chieftain into that of the two Swedes in
consideration of six yards of Amerikan, three empty brass cartridge
shells and a shiny, new jack knife from New Jersey. And all but
Meriem were more than pleased with the bargain.

Kovudoo
stipulated but a single condition and that was that the Europeans
were to leave his village and take the girl with them as early the
next morning as they could get started. After the sale was
consummated he did not hesitate to explain his reasons for this
demand. He told them of the strenuous attempt of the girl's savage
mate to rescue her, and suggested that the sooner they got her out of
the country the more likely they were to retain possession of her.

Meriem
was again bound and placed under guard, but this time in the tent of
the Swedes. Malbihn talked to her, trying to persuade her to
accompany them willingly. He told her that they would return her to
her own village; but when he discovered that she would rather die
than go back to the old sheik, he assured her that they would not
take her there, nor, as a matter of fact, had they had an intention
of so doing. As he talked with the girl the Swede feasted his eyes
upon the beautiful lines of her face and figure. She had grown tall
and straight and slender toward maturity since he had seen her in The
Sheik's village on that long gone day. For years she had represented
to him a certain fabulous reward. In his thoughts she had been but
the personification of the pleasures and luxuries that many francs
would purchase. Now as she stood before him pulsing with life and
loveliness she suggested other seductive and alluring possibilities.
He came closer to her and laid his hand upon her. The girl shrank
from him. He seized her and she struck him heavily in the mouth as he
sought to kiss her. Then Jenssen entered the tent.

"Malbihn!"
he almost shouted. "You fool!"

Sven
Malbihn released his hold upon the girl and turned toward his
companion. His face was red with mortification.

"What
the devil are you trying to do?" growled Jenssen. "Would
you throw away every chance for the reward? If we maltreat her we not
only couldn't collect a sou, but they'd send us to prison for our
pains. I thought you had more sense, Malbihn."

"I'm
not a wooden man," growled Malbihn.

"You'd
better be," rejoined Jenssen, "at least until we have
delivered her over in safety and collected what will be coming to
us."

"Oh,
hell," cried Malbihn. "What's the use? They'll be glad
enough to have her back, and by the time we get there with her she'll
be only too glad to keep her mouth shut. Why not?"

"Because
I say not," growled Jenssen. "I've always let you boss
things, Sven; but here's a case where what I say has got to go —
because I'm right and you're wrong, and we both know it."

"You're
getting damned virtuous all of a sudden," growled Malbihn.
"Perhaps you think I have forgotten about the inn keeper's
daughter, and little Celella, and that nigger at — "

"Shut
up!" snapped Jenssen. "It's not a matter of virtue and you
are as well aware of that as I. I don't want to quarrel with you, but
so help me God, Sven, you're not going to harm this girl if I have to
kill you to prevent it. I've suffered and slaved and been nearly
killed forty times in the last nine or ten years trying to accomplish
what luck has thrown at our feet at last, and now I'm not going to be
robbed of the fruits of success because you happen to be more of a
beast than a man. Again I warn you, Sven — " and he tapped the
revolver that swung in its holster at his hip.

Malbihn
gave his friend an ugly look, shrugged his shoulders, and left the
tent. Jenssen turned to Meriem.

The
girl had not understood the conversation that had been carried on by
her two owners, for it had been in Swedish; but what Jenssen had just
said to her in Arabic she understood and from it grasped an excellent
idea of what had passed between the two. The expressions upon their
faces, their gestures, and Jenssen's final tapping of his revolver
before Malbihn had left the tent had all been eloquent of the
seriousness of their altercation. Now, toward Jenssen she looked for
friendship, and with the innocence of youth she threw herself upon
his mercy, begging him to set her free, that she might return to
Korak and her jungle life; but she was doomed to another
disappointment, for the man only laughed at her roughly and told her
that if she tried to escape she would be punished by the very thing
that he had just saved her from.

All
that night she lay listening for a signal from Korak. All about the
jungle life moved through the darkness. To her sensitive ears came
sounds that the others in the camp could not hear — sounds that she
interpreted as we might interpret the speech of a friend, but not
once came a single note that reflected the presence of Korak. But she
knew that he would come. Nothing short of death itself could prevent
her Korak from returning for her. What delayed him though?

When
morning came again and the night had brought no succoring Korak,
Meriem's faith and loyalty were still unshaken though misgivings
began to assail her as to the safety of her friend. It seemed
unbelievable that serious mishap could have overtaken her wonderful
Korak who daily passed unscathed through all the terrors of the
jungle. Yet morning came, the morning meal was eaten, the camp broken
and the disreputable safari of the Swedes was on the move northward
with still no sign of the rescue the girl momentarily expected.

All
that day they marched, and the next and the next, nor did Korak even
so much as show himself to the patient little waiter moving, silently
and stately, beside her hard captors.

Malbihn
remained scowling and angry. He replied to Jenssen's friendly
advances in curt monosyllables. To Meriem he did not speak, but on
several occasions she discovered him glaring at her from beneath half
closed lids — greedily. The look sent a shudder through her. She
hugged Geeka closer to her breast and doubly regretted the knife that
they had taken from her when she was captured by Kovudoo.

It
was on the fourth day that Meriem began definitely to give up hope.
Something had happened to Korak. She knew it. He would never come
now, and these men would take her far away. Presently they would kill
her. She would never see her Korak again.

On
this day the Swedes rested, for they had marched rapidly and their
men were tired. Malbihn and Jenssen had gone from camp to hunt,
taking different directions. They had been gone about an hour when
the door of Meriem's tent was lifted and Malbihn entered. The look of
a beast was on his face.